A New Start
by StayStrongxox
Summary: AU! Its never easy being in care, when one person turn your life upside down... But strangers become friends and then friends become family... And for these young people... Family means family...
1. Chapter 1

**This has been floating around in my head for a while now and I just had to write down!**

 **Enjoy! X**

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This was last place she wanted to be. As she stared as the gloomy building through the car window, she sniffled and let out a spluttered cry, wiping her eyes.

She was ten years old and this was the last place she ever though she would be. She knew things were bad at home, but she never expected to be here, away from home and her family.

'Come on, darling. It's going to be okay, I promise' said Child Protective Services officer, Elena Neves. She reached out to stroke the long dark hair, trying to calm the young girl down.

'I want my home. I want my home' the little girl whimpered, wiping her snotty nose with the back of her hand.

Elena handed the young girl a tissue, watching as she blew her nose and hiccupped, before going back to staring out of the window as the scenery passed by.

Silence filled the car as it pulled up outside the the old looking, brick building and the young girl shunk back into her seat, terrified.

'Come on, honey. It'll all be okay' Elena soothed, trying to persuade the young girl to exit the car.

'I want my mommmy!'

'Honey, your mommy can't look after you right now, darling' Elena told her, sympathetically.

'It looks scary' the young girl admitted, turning her doe eyes to Elena and making Elena's heart break slightly.

'It's going to be okay, I'll be there everyday to check on you and make sure you're doing well... I promise' Elena's tone soothed the young girl, who nodded and slowly opened the car door, stepping out and gazing up at the old brick building.

'It looks scary' She told Elena, who placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

'I'll be there. Come on, honey. Let's go get you settled' Elena told her gently, her blonde short hair blowing in the night time wind.

Together Elena and young girl stepped into the warmth of the building and checked her in, before she followed Elena through a door and I to a little play area.

'Tomorrow, you'll be able to wake up and meet the other children that are staying here. You will be woken up at eight every morning and be led to breakfast, before a small group session will take place. That happens everytime a new little boy or girl arrives, so they can get to know you' Elena stopped her speech as she stopped outside a room.

'What's in there?' The little girl asked, pointing to the green door behind Elena.

'This is where you'll sleep, you'll be sharing with someone else, so maybe tomorrow you'll have made a new friend' Elena said, as she unlocked the door and opened it.

The figure in the bed groaned and sat up, her hair wild and stuck up.

'What the hell?' She grumbled, as the unexpected light intrusion made her squint.

'A new roommate for you. Try not to start a fight with this one' Elena told the figure, who rolled her eyes and slumped back on the pillows tugging the covers over her head.

'A fight?' The young girl squeaked, as she stepped into the room and climbed onto the bed.

'Nothing for you to worry about, honey. We've made sure she won't do again' Elena reassured, ignoring the snort that the other girl let out from under her covers.

'Okay...' The young girl climbed into the bed that had already been made up for her, as Elena set her overnight bag down at the foot of her bed.

'Now, you get rest and I'll see you in the morning, okay?' Elena gently told the girl, who yawned and nodded as she pulled the quilt over herself.

'Goodnight, Miss Elena' the young girl called as the heavy green door shut and surrounded her in darkness.

Everything was silent before a dim light flooded the room and suddenly, the other girl from across the room was looming over her.

'What's your name?' She demanded, tiredly. 'I like to know who I'm sharing a room with' She explained, waiting for am answer.

'Mia. Mia Toretto... who are you?' She asked, gazing at the Latina.

'Leticia Ortiz, but you call me Letty... you don't want to end up like my other roommate, who was here before you!' Letty told her, before she climbed back into her bed and switched the lamp off, plunging the room into darkness...

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 **Short chapter to start with, I know, but it's to set the tone of the story!**

 **R &R X**


	2. Chapter 2

**My lovely reviewers and followers! Love to you all!**

 **Enjoy! X**

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Mia was awoken by the sun streaming into the shared room. It took her a few minutes to remember where she was and what had happened, and even less time for the tears to burn her eyes.

She casted a quick glance in Lettys direction, seeing she was still asleep, with one leg stuck out from under the bed and snoring slightly.

Mia rolled onto her back and stared at the white ceiling, before taking a look at her surroundings in the small box room. There was two dressers on either side of the room, for each of the girls and a window above their headboards.

She climbed from her bed and picked up the overnight bag that Elena had placed at the bottom of the bed before she left. She heaved it onto her bed and unzipped it, unpacking the clothes onto her bed, kicking the empty underneath it when she had done.

She went over to her dresser and opened up all the draws and placed her clothes in them neatly, before shutting them and placing the photo frames, that she had buried at the bottom of the bag, on top and smiled.

Glancing back at Letty, she sighed and climbed back into her bed. Glancing at the clock on her bedside table, she began counting down the minutes before the alarm went off.

She watched in amusement as the alarm blared through the room, startling a sleep ridden Letty from her sleep. She landed in a heap on the floor and Mia quickly wiped the grin off her face before Letty saw.

'Urgh. I hate those freaking alarms. Why can't we just get up when we feel like it?' Letty groaned as she rubbed her head and got to her feet, just as Elena opened the door and smiled.

'Wow! You're actually up for once Letty, maybe having a roommate will be good for you' Elena told Letty, who scowled at her before Elena turned her attention to Mia. 'How are you feeling, Mia?' She asked, gently.

'I'm okay' She answered, smiling slightly before looking away from Elena and down to he floor.

'Okay, well breakfast is at eight and Letty will show you around the place. Give her something to do rather than hanging around with the boys for once' Elena announced, before smiling at Letty and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

'Stupid cow. She should know by now that she can't make me do anything I don't want to!' Letty exclaimed, throwing a slight glare at Mia, before her eyes landed on the photoframes. 'Who are they?' She asked, walking towards the dresser and taking a closer look.

Mia watched her closely, before speaking. 'My mother, my abuela and abuelo and my older brother' She sniffled.

'How come you're not with them?' She asked, looking at Mia.

'My mother's on meltdown, my grandparents are dead and my brother lives with my father' Mia told her, causing Letty to raise a eyebrow at her bluntness.

'Why aren't you with your father then?' Letty asked, causing Mia to raise an eyebrow this time.

'What's it to you?' She asked, her voice strong.

'Just saying. If your father's still alive, why isn't he fighting for you?' Letty shot at her, taking a step towards the younger girl.

Mia was about retaliate when loud banging came to the door. She scowled as Letty flung the door open and stepped back to allow the person into the room.

'Whose this?' The scrawny boy asked as he looked Mia up and down.

'New roommate. Arrived late last night or early this morning, whichever way you want to look at it' Letty said, before turning to Mia. 'Mia this Leon, Leon, this is Mia' She introduced them.

'Hi' Mia said shyly, holding her hand out to the guy.

'Yeah, hi' Leon said, ignoring Mia's outstretched hand and giving her a nod of the head instead. 'You coming for breakfast?' Leon asked Letty, who nodded.

'You coming?' Letty asked Mia, who nodded and followed Letty and Leon out of the room, closing the door behind her.

They headed down the corridor and through the double doors and into the play area. Mia was led through another set of doors and into a kitchen, when some people were sat down already.

'Tuck in, then' Letty told Mia, as she sat down opposite her and next to Leon, grabbing four slices of toast and spreading them with butter.

Mia nodded and grabbed a slice of toast, grabbing the chocolate spread, making Leon grimaced.

'Urgh, chocolate spread is only good enough when it's eaten out of the jar, not on toast' he commented, making Letty nod and hold out her hand for a high five.

'Yeah, brother!' She cheered before ripping off a piece of toast with her teeth and eating it, making Leon laugh at her actions...

* * *

'Right, before today's activities begin, I would like you all to welcome Amelia Toretto' Elena told the small group, consisting of Letty, Leon and six other children she didn't know yet.

'Mia. I don't like being called Amelia...' Mia quickly corrected Elena, who nodded.

'I aplogize, Mia. Now, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?' She asked, gently.

'Erm...' Mia fell silent as she thought about what she wanted to say, before getting to her feet. 'I'm Mia, I've got an older brother and I'm ten years old' She said, sitting back down.

'And? Is that it? That was pointless, I was hoping for something juicy' said a girl with brown hair tied up in a bun.

'Shut up, Riley!' Letty told her, scowling at Riley.

'Don't tell me to shut up, Ortiz!'

'GIRLS!' Elena snapped, glaring in their direction. 'If that's all Mia wants to share with us then we respect that. You know how hard it was yourself when you came here' Elena told them all, although she did glance at Riley a few times.

'Whatever. Can we go and play now?' Riley asked, looking and sounding bored, causing Elena to sigh and nod.

The children scuttled off, leaving Mia sat in the chair she had chosen to sit in. She watched as Letty and Leon barged through the double doors together, Riley shuffled into a corner with a black haired boy, who looked quite mean in her opinion and the other two people Mia didn't even look at as they disappeared.

'Why don't you go find Letty?' Elena asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. Mia shook her head.

'Can I go back to my room? Just for a little bit?' Mia asked, watching as Elena sighed and nodded.

Mia slid off her chair and disappeared through the double doors, letting it swing shut behind her as she left the room...

* * *

'Mia? Mia, wake up! It's lunchtime' Letty's voice wormed it's way into her sleeping consciousness.

Mia groaned and rolled onto her back, her heavy and swollen eyes opening with some difficultly.

'What's going on?' She asked, her voice thick with sleep.

'It's lunchtime, but what happened to you? Did Riley say something to you?' Letty exclaimed, at seeing Mia's swollen eyes.

'No... I was just upset about what's happened... A week before my eleventh birthday as well' Mia revealed, as she sat up and wiped her eyes.

'Oh God. You poor thing' it was obvious to Mia from Letty's tone, that she didn't take well to have to comfort people.

'It's fine. I doubt my mom would've celebrated with me anyway'

'What about your Dad?' Letty asked gently, sitting on the edge of Mia's bed.

'He only cares about his son, my older brother. His first born.'

'I'm sure that's not true'

'My mother couldn't handle the fact that my Dad already had a child to someone else. Never really kept it a secret and eventually the marriage broke down and he fled with Dom. Think I've only seen him about five times since they spilt' Mia revealed, before sighing.

'How old is your brother?' Letty asked, curious to know more and try and connect the dots to why Mia had ended up in care when her father was alive.

'Fifteen... how old are you?' Mia asked, feeling like she was playing twenty questions.

'Thirteen... but I don't understand... if your dad is alive, why aren't you with him?' Letty questioned, repeating her question from earlier.

Mia opened her mouth to answer when Elena knocked on the door and opened it.

'Letty, Mia... lunchtime. Come on' She said, tilting her head to the side.

Letty sighed and got to her feet. 'This conversation isn't over' She whispered to Mia, before she left the room and headed towards the lunch room.

'You okay, Mia? Don't let them pressure into saying anything you don't want to say' Elena reassured Mia, who nodded.

She got to her feet and, still in the clothes she arrived in, trudged out of the room. She didn't care what anyone said to her, with the mood she was in, she was sure to give anyone who gave her stick, either a black eye or let Letty deal with them...

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 **R &R X**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I've not updated this in a bit! My other stories have taken over my life!**

 **Enjoy X**

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Dominic Toretto sighed and rubbed a hand over his shaven head. He was working on an engine, looking after the garage where he worked with Dad, while the oldest Toretto was out for car parts.

He straightened up and cracked his shoulders, reliving some of the tension. He set the wrench down and headed into the office, making himself a drink, when his eyes caught a picture.

A picture of himself and Mia.

Mia. The little sister he had only seen five times since their parents had spilt up.

 _'BUT I WANT TO GO WITH THEM!' Nine year old, Mia screamed, big teardrops falling from her face as she sobbed._

 _'Well, you can't! You're staying here with me and that is final!' Lucia Toretto shouted._

 _'I DON'T WANT TO!' Mia screamed, before launching herself at her Dad. 'Papi! Take me with you!'_

 _'I wish I could, darling, but your mother made it very clear that you're to stay here!'_

 _'I DON'T WANT TO!'_

 _Dom appeared in the doorway, his ears ringing from his sisters screams. 'Bags are in the car, Dad'_

 _Mia grabbed her brother, who refused to look at her, trying to hide his own tears. 'Take me with you, Dom! I don't want to stay here!'_

 _'We can't, Mia...' Dom whispered before Lucia grabbed Mia and hauled her away._

 _'Get out of this house and don't ever come back!' Lucia told them, pointing to the door._

 _Mia's screams got worse as Dom and Antonio headed outside to the car._

 _'Dad? Can't we bring her?' Tony sighed at his sons request. The two siblings were close, despite a four and half year age gap._

 _'No, you didn't hear what Lucia said. It's best if Mia stays here, trust me. Now get in the car' Dom scowled at his Dads tone, but did as he said, turning in his seat as his Dad started the car._

 _The car pulled out of the driveway and Mia shot from the house, running for the car, screaming and crying._

 _Dom watched, with his own tears dripping down his cheeks, until she disappeared as they rounded the corner of the street..._

'Son, you okay?' Antonio asked, as he stepped into the office and saw his son looking into space.

'Why did you leave her? Mia?'

Antonio sighed and set the car parts down onto the table. 'Lucia threatened to called the police over an abduction if we took her. I wasn't going to take that risk of having the police knocking the door down and taking her away'

'She's your daughter. You have rights'

Antonio sighed. 'I'm not on the birth certificate. For some reason, she never put me on it...'

Dom's breathing stopped for a minute. 'She is yours, isn't she?'

'Of course she is! We have the same blood group' Antonio exclaimed. He was about to carry on, when the office phone rang.

'I'll get back to work...' Dom said, setting his now empty cup on the side and heading back into the garage.

Antonio sighed and picked up the phone. 'Hello? D.T Garage, how can I help you?'...

* * *

Blue sky greeted Mia's vision as she stepped out into the playground. It was surprisingly empty for the afternoon, so she got the chance to explore by herself.

She climbed up the steps to the tree house and slammed open the door, shrieking in shock when she found Letty and Leon sat in the little tree house.

The noise had Letty and Leon shooting to their feet, before Letty realised who it was. 'MIA!' She screamed, her fight instinct at an all time high.

'Sorry! Sorry!' Mia squeaked out the apology, before Leon grabbed her wrist and pull her into the small space.

'Sit down!' He demanded

Letty placed a hand on his arm and he calmed down. 'Mia... what you just saw-'

'Are you two together?' Mia asked

'God no!'

'Jesus no!' Letty shrieked, her head shaking wildly. 'He's like a brother to me!' Letty told Mia, a disgusted look on her face. 'Its our place to go when we want to talk or some alone time away from everyone.'

Mia looked skeptical, but nodded. 'Letty, can we talk?' Mia glanced at Leon, who stared back at her, none the wiser. 'In private?'

Letty nodded and stared at Leon. 'Leon, get out' She tilted her head to side, making him get the point.

'But this is our-'

'Leon!' The man in question grumbled as he stepped out of the tree house and closed the door behind him.

'Thanks for that' Mia said gratefully, as Letty sat down next to her.

'What's up?'

Mia fiddled with her thumbs. 'Can I ask you something?'

'Depends. What is it?'

'How did you end up in care?' Letty's eyebrows almost shot off her head at the unexpected question.

'I don't even remember. I was so young, I don't even remember what my mother looks like...' Letty seemed far away, until she shook her head. 'Why do you want to know?'

'I was just curious... thought it might help make some sense'

'To what?'

'To why I'm here. I've been thinking about what you've said... about my dad and my brother been alive and why I'm not with them... but then it got me wondering.. why are you in here if your Dad or any grandparents are alive?'

'They're dead. My mom was in care, like me. She swore to me that nothing would happen to me...'

'What happened?'

'She got murdered. Right infront of me, hit and run. Never found out who did it! I've been here since I was seven, but the second I turn eighteen... I'm gone!'

Mia was silent. She hadn't expected that to come from Letty's mouth. She thought something bad had happened to her mother and she had placed her in care, while she got better.

When she finally got control of her voice, she spoke. 'How did you cope?'

'I saw a therapist twice a week, reluctantly. I don't like opening up to strangers, who I've never met before'

'I'm a stranger'

No, you're my roommate and a friend, even if you do drive me up the wall with your OCD' Letty joked lightly.

Mia smiled a proper genuine smile since she had arrived. 'Thanks Letty. That means a lot'

Letty smiled and nodded. 'Yeah, well we have to stick together in here, we're all going through the same thing...'

'When did you get wise?'

Letty opened her mouth to answer when Leon banged the door open again.

'LEON! Seriously, one day you'll get a smack-'

'Shut up, Let!' Leon shot at her, causing Letty to raise an eyebrow disprovingly. 'There's someone asking for you' Leon said to Mia.

Mia frowned. 'Asking for me?'

'Yeah... Someone called Dom-' Mia shoved passed him and chambered down the stairs with Letty at her heels...

* * *

'WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE'S MY SISTER?!' Dom was growling at Elena, the only thing on his mind was seeing his sister.

'Sir, I would appreciate it if you could lower your voice!'

Just then, Tony rushed through the door, yanking Dom back and scolding him for his behaviour, before apologising to Elena. 'I'm very sorry about that. As you can see, my son is very protective. Allow me to introduce myself, Antonio Toretto, Mia Toretto's father'

'Ah, Mr Toretto' Elena acknowledged, holding a hand out for him to shake. 'Elena Neves, Child Protective Services officer'.

'How's my-'

'MIMI!' Dom suddenly shot forward and through the clear glass doors as he saw his sister running full speed towards towards him. He scooped her up into his arms, holding her close. 'Mia, I've got you, I've got you' he whispered to her, stroking her hair gently, trying to calm her down.

'Dom!' Mia sobbed, hugging him tightly, her legs wrapped round his waist. 'Don't let me stay here. Take me with you!'

Dom gently placed Mia on her feet and cupped her face in his hands. 'You know it don't work like-'

'DADDY!' Mia disappeared from his eyesight, as she rushed over to their Dad, and his eyes landed upon two people.

One had their arm swung round the others shoulder, while the other had their mouth slightly agape.

'Dominic Toretto' he introduced himself, holding out a hand.

'Leon Epps' Leon shook his hand, with a small smile.

'Letty Ortiz' Letty smiled and held out a hand, her eyes trained on his body, hidden beneath the tight tshirt.

'Nice to meet you, Leon, Letty' Dom stared down at her, as he shook her hand. 'So you two friends with my sister?'

'Yeah. She's my roommate. A little OCD but I can cope' Letty answered, still gripping Dom's hand.

'A little OCD? She was a nightmare when we were younger...'

'Yeah, well a lot can change when you're left behind' Dom quickly spun round, releasing Letty's hand, and stared at his sister.

'Mia...' he warned

'How about we go into this room here, more privacy for you' Elena quickly intervened, sensing an argument on the horizon.

The Toretto's disappeared with Elena into a side room, leaving Leon and Letty in the hallway, to their thoughts.

'You're in love with him. Love at first sight'

'Shut up, Leon!' Letty snapped before turning on her heel and stomping back down the hallway, with Leon cackling and running after her...

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 **R &R X**


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